Sugar Is An Asshole , You Need To Break Up With Him

 

 

“Sugar is an asshole”

-Natallia Nemes 

 

I have officially made it through Week 1 of my 45 Day Paleo Challenge! WOOT! WOOT! I have experienced some highs and lows during my first week.

I have learned thus far that sugar is an asshole and you need to break up with him. Break up with sugar, but we’ve been together so long. That sounds like madness!! It is also the first level of my 45 day nutrition challenge.

Sugar is basically the “bad boy” of food. He is super sweet, you crave him with a vengeance but you know he is SO bad for you! Sugar tastes so AMAZING that we often keep coming back for more and cannot get enough. Sugar may give you that high, but like a bad boy, you will eventually CRASH and find yourself feeling like junk.

Sugar basically has no nutritional value, it does not provide minerals or vitamins. Sugar is also linked to a variety of conditions (i.e. obesity, diabetes, heart disease, etc.) Can you see why you need to break up with sugar, he is truly an asshole, who will leave you feeling empty and fat.

I am not saying you should never eat an ounce of sugar again, but I am encouraging you to cutting back or eliminating as much refined sugar as possible in your diet. I used to make a gallon of southern sweet tea a day. Each batch had a cup and a half of sugar. Holy moly. That is so unhealthy and sounds completely gross to me now.

Now I am much more aware of my sugar intake. No more 5 packets of sugar with my morning coffee. I have discovered that I actually like coffee without all the dairy and spoonfuls of sugar. I still get my caffeine fix, but without the unnecessary extras. Small changes can lead to big results.

Here are a few highlights from the past week. I hope to do much better this week. Although, I doing well point wise on the challenge, with my fellow competitors, there is DEFINITELY room for improvement in the upcoming weeks. Aside a few cheat moments, I was able to manage to improve in other areas, such as exercise, adding grass fed meats, fish and poultry to my diet, eating above my level and getting a SIGNIFICANT amount of sleep every night!

A failure to plan is a plan to failure. When you make the choice to begin eating “clean”, it is very important to first CLEAN the crap out of your house. Go through your cupboards, fridge and freezer. Toss all the processed junk food out, removing all your temptations. You are less likely to cheat, if you you have replaced the food you tossed out, with healthier alternatives.

I absolutely LOVE kale and always keep a bag of organic kale in the fridge. I love kale so much, I actually had a dream I was making kale chips in the oven last night. You can even grab fresh kale at the farmer’s market and chop it up yourself. Costs less and tastes just as good.

My go to lunch this week has been kale and salmon. It tastes AMAZEBALLS, smells to die for and is really great for your body.  Warning though, kale can make you gassy! Avoid box jumps next to cute CrossFitters or doing a double under, you may BLOW away your fellow athletes. The price you pay for nutrition. Just avoid walking behind me for the next few weeks.

I have learned to say NO to food that I so enjoyed eating in the past. Every week, I train my students to work in our school’s cafeteria. When we wipe all the tables in the cafeteria, we earn a free lunch, as a form of payment.

Well, this one particular day, I had forgotten my prepared lunch at home. Our school meals for the day were not very paleo friendly. In the past, I would have been totally tempted to eat the eggs rolls and stir fry noodles. Instead, I grabbed a tray and loaded my plate with all vegetables and a small serving of fruit. Wasn’t easy at first, but I am glad I am holding myself accountable for my challenge.

In previous months, I made the mistake of not limiting my fruit servings. I believe I went overboard with too many fruits! Fruit has natural sugars, but if you are expecting to lean out, it is advised to lower your daily intake of fruits. Berries have become my dessert of choice.

My greatest challenge this week has involved getting in as much physical activity. Jack’s dad is traveling quite a bit this fall, so I am in my single mommy mode. I have not been able to make it to my CrossFit in almost two months. This in itself depresses me. I love going. I am borderline scared to go back, as I feel I am not in the best of shape. Over the past week, I have snuck in workouts after school in my high school fitness center and at home WODs on my lanai. I even get little Jack involved on the action. He is 6 years old and knows how to do a kettlebell swing.

I am really enjoying the Paleo challenge so far. I am really putting thought into planning my meals and looking for opportunities to actively exercise. Throughout the day, I am making a mental note of my points towards the group challenge.

Examples

Day 1

Grassfed beef for lunch and dinner +2

9 hours of sleep +2

Day 2

WOD +1

8 hours of sleep +2

Eat above my level +1

I would have to say that the highlight of the week, in terms of significant change, would be in the area of getting plenty of sleep.

Every night I have aimed to get at least 8 hours of sleep. I don’t remember the last time I have ever had a full night’s sleep, let alone consecutive days. It feels wonderful and I know I am providing my body the rest it needs.

I am shooting for a new goal each week. I am planning to prepare all my meals for the week ahead of time. Photographs of my mass clean meal cooking will soon follow.

Have a great week ya’ll and I hope you are making healthy nutritional and physical activity choices. You deserve to be the best version of yourself. It is never too late!